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NEWS: Madoka Magica Film Project to Be Trilogy

NT2011/12 Anime "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" movie project is launched. 3 movies altogeter: Rearrangement of the TV series into two movies and a original new work.

-- Summary and more

- Cover has Madoka and Homura in mahou shoujo costumes (refer to images in Amazon) [symbv: the person who did this summary may have been in a rush - Madoka is in her goddess dress on the cover - or that counts as mahou shoujo costume too??]
- 2 page spread (think it is from TV anime judging from the staff and story)
- 4 pages of interviews and brief introduction
- 2 pages what to expect from the movie edition

- The illustration on the first 2 pages are the 4 mahou shoujo not including Madoka （KAZUYA SHIOTUKI finish by SHAFTIP.)
- The illustration on the interview is from UME AOKI (pics already published before and pics used for covers). The last two pages are from ETSUKO SUMITOMO

-- Interview
Drawn from the conversation sessions by the 4 people including Director/SHAFT: Akiyuki Shinbo (S), Character original design: Ume Aoki (A), Screenplay: Gen Urobuchi (U), Aniplex: Atsuhiro Iwagami (I)

S - I was so happy that the reactions after the broadcast was much bigger than expected.
U - Also the time when we watched the fan-made video where the characters in 3D dance... [symbv: I wonder if it is this one: http://youtu.be/jX4OBVSlgvw ]
S - I am also very happy with the parody manga done by fans.
U - Watching the fan activities was pure joy.

U - After Madoka work has increased so much that it became like Jenga, and it got difficult to see where I should start.
- I am happy as it seems the evaluation from overseas is also good
- I have been thinking of repaying Itano as he helped me to get into the anime industry. I wonder if I am able fulfill in some way Itano's wish of wanting to get Japanese anime to be considered worthy culture in overseas media.

A - Commissioned work has increased a bit, but I am more happy with all kinds of people drawing Madoka's characters and make them everyone's own.

Producer Kubota (K) - The enthusiasm of the production team was so great regarding the plot twist in ep.3
S - I was filled with trepidation over the feedback about ep.3, and when it became such a sensation I felt relaxed.
K - At the workplace of the anime production, we got to do our work while seeing how fans reacted. Perhaps we can say that we were enjoying ourselves at the workplace so we could come up with such work.
S - Or it can be said that all the staff did their best up till the last.

I - Since around 3 years ago I was thinking that perhaps it is a good idea to just use the names of 3 people in the notification and announcement of a work within a short period campaign before going into broadcast.

I - Since the feedback was really great even during broadcast, since around January we started to consider a 2nd season.
U - But the plot that was submitted (for discussion) was not sufficient to fill up one cour...
I - And there were opinion from some staff who wanted to see the TV series in a movie format, so at the end we started the movie project in which there are altogether 3 movies - 2 movies as a two-part work of TV series rearrangement and 1 movie that is a completely new work.

S - The completely new work is a story that is suitable for a feature film. It will be a story that would be even more interesting if you know the TV series.
- Before that I want to go through the story again with the format of a rearrangement of the TV series
- I am thinking that the movies can be divided into groups of 2 movies and 1 movie.

S - In the TV series we were aware of the "pulling power" that got [the watcher] to eagerly anticipate the next episode. This will change in the summary version.
I - The TV series is a work that is already complete. I think by watching the movies one can come up with a different viewpoint. If it becomes a roller-coaster movie in a true sense it will be good.
S - There is romance in the word "summary version in movie format". Be it Yamato or Gundam, for a creator the moment when he involves with the theater screen is a most happy one.
A - The theater may become a Inu-Curry space.
U - For the screenplay, there may be a need to do some work in order to fit in the length, but basically I do not plan to change the story.
S - On sound side there will be some changes. I also think the whole cast will have to do after-recording agian.
U - I want people to think that the rearrangement version as a two-shot firework, and the completely new work that comes after is its continuation.

U - For the new work, since I wrote the TV series as a fully completed story, I was unsure as to what kind of story to tell for a sequel.
- Even after one discussion session after another there was still no decisive idea. Everyone joined in the discussions in brainstorming style.

U - During discussions that were centered around the 4 people here we came up with a certain idea, and I finally got the feeling that I am able to create a new work.
- Where as in the TV series, as the screenplay came first, my world view was at the center, in the new work it will be something that can be said to showcase the true value of "Magica Quartet".
- Some days ago the final draft of the screenplay for the new work was all but finished. The production work is progressing smoothly.
S - The subtitle is not decided yet
- I really wanted to make the title "Incubator Strikes Back".
U - Let's ask Kyubey to do the CM...
S - I am sure Kyubey will just say "you didn't say it will be released to theaters that soon, did ya?"...

* Headline comments from various staff
S - Personally I want to see "Fin-de-siecle Mahou Shoujo Legend"
A - I am ecstatic towards the sound of the word "movie edition"
U - Since it was brought to a full end, I missed hearing about the sequel...
I - [Expect] the fun like in a roller-coaster which you cannot get off which you can only get in theaters

* Special Comments
(roughly)

- Hideaki Anno: It feels good to see Kyubey to be so thoroughly worked as a symbol as well as a character. The symbolization of the witches is also skilfully done. And then the music is good. And then the way HomuHomu was depicted in Ep.10 was good. I have good expectation of the movie edition.
- Hitoshi Sakoh (apparently the guitarist of a rock band called Galileo Galilei): The pairing of Madoka and Homura is just the best!
- Rena Matsui (the most popular member of SKE48, sister unit of AKB48): It was a most heartfelt joy to watch scenes like the ED of ep.10 or when Kyubey gave a speech.

Veers wrote:

at least until SHAFT starts taking queues from George Lucas (Madoka forbid), right?

You mean, people camping outside the cinema weeks before it opens?

Shiroi Hane wrote:

Veers wrote: at least until SHAFT starts taking queues from George Lucas (Madoka forbid), right? You mean, people camping outside the cinema weeks before it opens?

If you're asking a serious question, I was referring to all the, uh... tweaking that Star Wars has been subjected to over the years.

We've already seen that Madoka fans will line up for stuff.

I think Shiroi Hane was pointing out (since he bolded it) your use of the word "queues", when you probably meant "cues".

Madoka movies... hm. So it wasn't fake after all, then? Well, I'll watch them because they're Madoka, but I'm pretty skeptical about this news (though I gotta admit I love the name idea, even if it brings up its own share of questions, heh).

Compilations, I dunno... is that necessary? The show's short to begin with... I guess cut out a few landscape pans here and you could trim an hour off to get it down to two 90 minute movies? Madoka is a pretty deliberate and dense series in the sense that there is very little superfluous dialog and its pacing really is pretty solid when you look at the series as three short arcs (1-3, 4-8, 9-12), so if you start trimming stuff to fit a movie timeframe, I'd think there's a good chance you'd have to start cutting out stuff that is significant to the story, leaving you with a movie that fans will either get bored or rage at and newcomers will be missing out on important details, or might be a pacing mess on its own.

The show's pacing wasn't perfect (starts pretty slow, even though that's very deliberate and I think changing that aspect too much would destroy a key part of what makes Madoka Madoka... I don't think Kyouko had enough presence relative to what the plot wanted to do with her, and I don't just say that as a Kyouko fan... and the ending, though I've come to appreciate it, still feels a little off in places), but it wasn't bad.

I mean, Gurren Lagann and Eva as a couple examples of some shows with compilation movies that I've seen... TTGL's was alright, but I'd never watch it again. Eva1.1 had terrible pacing. Eva2.2 I did like, but I really only liked it because I didn't like NGE, so I was happy with the things 2.2 did differently, which is not the case for Madoka. I'm pretty much with Kyogissun here; if they're just edited footage from the show, that's gonna be pretty uninteresting because I can already watch the show at whatever pace I want (skip to the fights if that's what I'm in the mood for, and so on).

I

Djisas wrote:

I think he did not mean EOE, but EVA 1.11 and 2.22 and so far, have you even watched these masterpieces??

Masterpieces? lol

However, Eva being included in the argument confuses me. From what I understand, the Eva "Rebuild" project seems to be going in a completely different direction from the original series (Episodes 1-26 and the End of Eva movies), so maybe it shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath as mere compilations, but I guess we'll see...

the original series will *to my knowledge* be getting a kind of overhaul before it goes out.... so its not exactly the same.... it will be getting a kind of polishing....but we haven't heard anything concrete for sure yet, so don't quote me on this...

It's funny, because my fiance and I had a convo about Madoka's ending recently. To be honest, I really don't know if the new film could succeed as a continuation. The plot has already been wrapped up perfectly, and didn't have the mess of an ending the "Evangelion" (still one of my favorite shows, so much so that I watched it twice, so I'm not being a hater) series had to merit a movie conclusion. I was quite satisfied with Madoka's ending, and if this is going to be a "true ending" or a tacked-on "final battle", then I'm honestly expecting the worst. However, being a massive lover of Madoka, I will try to hope for the best until some more specific details come out.

And Djisas, both EVA: Rebuild films thus far aren't "masterpieces"; granted, EVA: 2.22 was a phenomenal piece of work, which I adored every single second of, and I would be liable to call it a masterpiece. But 1.11 felt somewhat like a clipshow of the beginning of the EVA series with gorgeous animation. I cannot, in all fairness, call a carbon copy of a pre-existing work a "masterpiece", no matter how beautiful it is to look at. For a prime example of this, see Gus van Sant's remake of "Psycho".